1 T hen Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

2 “ If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?

3 “ Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands.

4 “ Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.

5 “ But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed.

6 “ Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope?

7 “ Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed?

8 “ According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it.

9 “ By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.

10 “ The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 “ The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

12 “ Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it.

13 “ Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,

14 D read came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.

15 “ Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up.

16 “ It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice:

17 ‘ Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18 ‘ He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error.

19 ‘ How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!

20 ‘ Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever.

21 ‘ Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.’